Doogie Not Down With Stunt-Casting

Britney Spears' two minutes of screen time attracted one million extra viewers to How I Met Your Mother, but Neil Patrick Harris doesn't think it's a worthwhile trade.

Doogie has become somewhat awesome to interview lately, since he is always willing to say exactly what he thinks.

I'm in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed. I worry that if they start ‘Will and Grace’-ing us too much, that the show will suffer.

He then went on to wager a guess at the show's next special guest star, billed as a "mystery woman" last week.

No telling, but based on the stunt casting we've done in the past I'm guessing Tara Reid.

A couple news outlets have referred to Harris as "ungracious" and such for taking a swipe at Britney, since yeah, she did get A MILLION MORE PEOPLE to watch the show. But he's got a point, since hardly any of those people tuned in the next week, and it's doubtful that a second Britney appearance would garner the same ratings, because come on.

A lot of people tuned in because they wanted to watch her crash and burn. They wanted to see her struggle to get her lines out, looking bloated and busted with her broke-ass weave. They wanted 30 minutes of the VMAs. Instead, she was...perfectly capable. I mean, I found her part corny and pretty contrived (a receptionist busting into a closed-door medical appointment to return a book and a doctor being fine with that receptionist hanging up on patients meant that like, 90% of the part was written to simply manipulate the plot in the most lazy way possible), but that's the fault of the writers. (I'm not a super-loyal HIMYM watcher, but other episodes I've seen were far superior to this one.) Britney looked cute, combed her hair, knew her lines and delivered them about as well as the script allowed.

Which is exactly what people DIDN'T WANT, so I can't fault Harris (who seems really, really genuinely proud of his show) for pointing out that this is not the audience the show wants or needs.

“I just am a real fan of our content,” says Harris. “I think we have a great show going, and I hope it’s not screwed up by the desire for 700,000 more viewers.”

Comments

[Amberina J]

I am a huge fan on HIMYM and i was more than a little dissapointed by the Spears guest star role. I happy that she only had a small role and not much air time and she did ok. But the episode was not as funny as the show is normally and didn't have that HIMYM feel that i so love. The writers are usually excellent but i felt they catered way to much to Britney's less that excellent acting and comedy skills. She was no match for the rest of the cast including the other gueststar Sarah Chalke from Scrubs. Not my fave episode. No more britney please!!

[kdiddy]

that's right. NPH won't stand for that nonsense.

[Isabel]

I am a huge HIMYM fan and it's too bad that Brittany was on an episode that wasn't written to keep the new viewers they were sure to get with said stunt casting.

I agree with NPH. But still, I'm hopeful for something that WILL be sure to get HIMYM more viewers and ensure their return next season.

[Nic]

I'm a big HIMYM fan and I totally agree with NPH. The real guest star on that episode was Sarah Chalke, and she was awesome.

[jodifur]

To the HIMYM fans, do you think Sarah Chalke was the mother? B/c she said she was at a St. Patty's day party and he had said at an earlier message they were at the same st. Patty's day party but didn't meet?

[JennC]

Totally agree with NPH and everything you all have already said. Britney did...okay, but the episode would have been ten times better without her.

(And, jodifur, I do think that Sarah Chalke's character ends up being the elusive 'Mother' of How I Met Your Mother.)

[Nic]

Jodifur, I hope she's the mother, and I think it leans that way currently and they left it open for that if they aren't renewed, but I don't know...

[Miss Britt]

I am a huge HIMYM fan and I can definitely see his point. The writing is smart and funny and I'd hate to see it ruined so 700,000 people who don't give a crap about the show anyway will tune in once.